Arabesque
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures or complex geometrical patterns, mainly used in Islamic art and architecture. also, attributive
"It was a sort of scene which Adam had beheld almost weekly for years; he knew by heart every arabesque flourish in the framed specimen of Bartle Massey’s handwriting which hung over the schoolmaster’s head, by way of keeping a lofty ideal before the minds of his pupils; […]."
- 2 an ornament that interlaces simulated foliage in an intricate design wordnet
- 3 An ornate composition, especially for the piano.
- 4 position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind and arms outstretched in a conventional pose wordnet
- 5 A dance position in which the dancer stands on one leg, with the other raised backwards, and the arms outstretched.
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- 6 Elaborate or ornate creations in general. attributive, broadly
"For a man who condemned worldly pleasures he ate with elegance. She loved to watch the arabesque of fingers and two forks."
- 1 To move in an arabesque motion. intransitive
- 2 To decorate with an arabesque pattern. transitive
Example
More examples"How is it possible that a being with such sensitive jewels as the eyes, such enchanted musical instruments as the ears, and such fabulous arabesque of nerves as the brain can experience itself anything less than a god?"
Etymology
Borrowed from French arabesque, from Italian arabesco, from arabo (“Arab”). By surface analysis, Arab + -esque.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.